John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

An enigmatic collection of unconventional tales featuring cerebral wit and a uniquely strange imagination, Briefs: A Word Salad of the Surreal, Absurd & Black-Comedy by Thom Cree is a madcap but cleverly crafted work of absurdist fiction. From invisible drinking buddies and talking fish to eel-heavy pranks and snarky Irish stoners, these seven stories and one darkly brilliant screenplay are inventive snapshots of contemporary surrealism. Laced with linguistic flair and narrative twists, the carefully selected prose leaves readers unsettled and uncertain, but undeniably entertained, as the stories offer a masterful balance of the impossible with relatable lunacy, revealing the undercurrent […]

An inspiring tale of healing, resilience, and faith, Until Shiloh Comes by Sophia Rose is an empowering reminder that our path toward peace does not need to be walked alone. In this engrossing mixture of memoir and spiritual self-help, a skeptical and wounded woman finds an enigmatic guide named Shiloh who profoundly leads her back to a more joyous and authentic version of herself. Offering deeply relatable wisdom for any reader who has lost the map to their own happiness and purpose, this book resonates with endearing honesty, passionate conviction, and deep devotion to spiritual teaching.

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A stirring treasure hunt of puzzling clues and time-travel romance, One Day A Year by J. Lamont Jones is an ambitious and satisfying YA plunge into the past. Bestowed with a rare gift to travel back in time once a year, young Benny Jones has found love, but more than a century separates them, and messing with the past could radically shift the future. In an emotionally charged race to decode the secret to his own happiness, Benny will need all the help he can get, from his father and new allies in the 19th century to a beguiling woman […]

One woman on a desperate hunt for her vanished twin and a secretive police chief holding his small-town secrets close make Lost Hollow by Donna S. Frelick a sinister and supernatural thrill. A missing person’s case is anything but simple in Allenville, North Carolina, where outsiders are rare, and tampering with them is forbidden by the mysterious inhabitants of the deep forest. The unlikely connection between two determined investigators sends sparks flying, but distractions are dangerous when the rules binding bitter enemies are broken. Successfully mixing genres in a way that will appeal to fans of thrillers, romance, and science […]

A slow-burning mystery with a stellar lead sleuth, The Silent Pines by Curtis Myer is a pastoral thriller with an ominous edge. In a rural Oregon town plagued by a rash of violent murders, newly arrived Sienna Kelly is quickly pulled into the suspicions and intrigue of a community on the edge. Her seemingly perfect yet frequently absent husband, Vince, busy with his nascent newspaper business, leaves Sienna plenty of time to let her natural curiosity and investigative skills run wild, right into the suffocating crosshairs of a sociopathic killer. Transcending standard mystery tropes and elevating timely themes of small-town […]